Taurid Meteor Stream Unlikely to Contain Dangerous Asteroids, New Study Suggests

The
Taurid

Meteoroid
Complex,
once
feared
for
possibly
hiding
large,
civilisation-destroying
asteroids,
has
been
found
to
be
less
threatening
than
originally
believed.
Quanzhi
Ye,
an

astronomer
at
the
University
of
Maryland,
and
his
team
conducted
an
extensive
survey
using
the
Zwicky
Transient
Facility
at
California’s
Palomar
Observatory.
Their
findings
suggest
the
risk
of
being
struck
by
a
large
asteroid
within
this
debris
stream
is
significantly
lower
than
previously
thought.
Ye
emphasised
this
is
promising
news
for
planetary
defence,
as
initial
concerns
were
higher.

What
is
the
Taurid
Meteoroid
Complex?

The
Taurid
Complex
is
a
vast
stream
of
dust,
rocks,
comets,
and

asteroids
left
behind
by
Comet
2P/Encke,
a
short-period
comet
that
completes
its
orbit
around
the
sun
every
3.3
years.
This
debris
field
is
responsible
for

meteor
showers,
particularly
the
Southern
Taurids
on
November
5
and
the
Northern
Taurids
on
November
12.
Although
most
particles
in
these
showers
are
small,
there
were
fears
that
larger,
undiscovered
objects
could
pose
a
serious
threat.

Reduced
Threat
of
Large
Asteroids

Ye’s
team,
however,
concluded
that
only
around
nine
to
14
kilometre-sized
objects
exist
within
the
Taurid
Complex.
These
findings
challenge
previous
concerns
that
the
stream
could
hide
objects
capable
of
causing
global
destruction.
The
origin
of
the
Taurid
Complex
remains
debated,
with

studies
indicating
a
possible
break-up
of
a
larger
comet
thousands
of
years
ago.

Conclusion:
Taurid
Complex
and
Planetary
Defence

Although
Ye’s
findings
are
reassuring,
he
urges
that
vigilance
is
still
necessary.
While
this
particular
debris
stream
may
not
harbour
major
threats,
the
risk
of
asteroid
impacts
remains
a
valid
concern
for
Earth.
Nonetheless,
for
now,
the
Taurid
Complex
doesn’t
seem
to
hold
any
hidden
dangers,
and
any
objects
present
are
on
well-tracked
orbits
that
do
not
currently
threaten
our
planet.